Yeah, my best friend and I hitched to the coast after our first year of college and were determined to take PCHwy 1 all the way up. At some point (later learned it was near a place called Ventura)we got a ride from a cool Dead Head about our age. "Hey, you guys like the Dead?" he said in his SoCal accent. "Yeah man. Yeah," we said. Ha, we were not even casual fans, I'm afraid. "Well there's a big show this weekend right where I'm going. You should check it out. Free camping if you buy a ticket."

We counted our meager resources and decided to go for it. I had $187 for the entire summer May to August. Best experience of the entire trip was about to go down, and I had no idea. My first Dead Show, on the Pacific, I remember the sun in the sky over the ocean right next to Jerry. I remember the dancers, the tunes were amazing, and it was my first experience with shrooms, or anything psychedelic. Now, that was a good time. I thought: these Dead Heads are pretty cool, nothing but peace and good vibes. I can dig this.

That night at the camp on the beach, some bald dude with a lone accoustic kept at least a hundred people hanging cool and blowing J's around a bonfire. I'll never forget that, or the sand blowing. A highlight of my entire life, best part of the trip, for sure.

I have never been back to California from the east. Got married, had kids, worked my ass off, and still working it off. I have promised myself to return to Ventura some day. Thank you for letting me hear that music again, after 31 years.

This show has some great moments mixed in with some awkward ones, I say it's a winner and certainly better than most the shows I saw in the late 80s/90s. The last half of the first set is loose but smokin, Playin has some sweet finessing, Jerry's does some fine nuanced chord soloing in Rider, Estimated's middle reentry is rough but it recovers (just like a swiss watch!), and the last half is pure fun with some great Jerry on the Wheel and Bob throwing some different vocals in the Reprise and Around. Compare to new AUD copy.

This show was fantastic until the Around and Around. The Truckin' to close the 1st set was outstanding, a big surprise, and for a while, it looked like they would even carry that jam further into the Other One. But alas, no. This is one of my favorite China Cat Riders, there's a moment in the transition jam that, and I don't remember if it was captures on this tape, but if you close your eyes, and this is from what happened to me at the show (and continues to this day), the Universe sparkles.

Very good recording, but the show falls apart as goes on. Some moments in 1st set when all cylinders are firing for sure, but they just seem to fall into gaffing and dropping the ball after that, and in a show when Phil could be the glue to help things back into cohesiveness, he instead is assertively odd, dissonant, and almost irritatingly divergant and overplaying. The next day's show is a whole different story.

I got sunburnt crispy, didn't care. went to every ventura show.we were lucky to live close and have them visit. I flew some kites before the shows. Spent the night on the beach.does anyone remember when the train would run by ? anyway if you were there thanks for your company.If you didn't make it, you can here what happened to us. o.k. o.k. I'm the one yelling louder and more bass, unleash the powewr of Phill.

this was my first show in california,what away to kick off so many years of fun. i had no idea at this point that i would not miss another show till late 89. the bus came by and i stayed on. as far as the show goes i am a huge fan of 2nd sets that open with playin cause ya just never know where they are gonna take ya after the first song. In this case china/rider and the place was just swirling in dust. I miss the good old days sometimes. Thank you for these archives. what a great way to bring back those old feelings of being young again. i give three stars cause its kinda to much high end.

Amazing to think that I was actually at this show. I honestly even heard me howl in there between songs somewhere...Ventura...right on the beach, with the sand between our toes and the salt on our skin, just graduated high school and we were on to Red Rocks after this. Great show here, good Tennessee Jed... one year (I didn't hear it here) a train actually passed behind the fairgrounds during that tune or during He's Gone. Good segue into the Wheel! Only problem with the way the show plays is the song order. It had me all screwed up listening to Baby Blue sandwiched in there. Oh Well...

spooky to start with, Pink Floyd's "Animals" playing over the PA before the show...some things just stick in your mind.
stellar first set closer w/truckin'

playin>china/rider>estimated>jam=spooky too!

great post drums w/raspy bobby voice

This is a wonderful sounding AUD with a killer first set. I love the August shows and hadn't really explored much of July until now. Seems like they lose a bit of steam for the 2nd set (compared to 8/7/82), but it's still very good.
They have a little bit of trouble trying to finish up the 1st set with Truckin, and it's interesting to listen to them try and finish the song. They couldn't quite do it like they did on the Nov 77 show when they used it as a show closer. but this is still prime time dead. It doesn't get much better then summer '82.

These two Ventura shows were the first in Ventura. The Dead were stoked to play here on the beach they could see from the stage, nice ocean breeze, palm trees swaying. Perfect weather.
Opened with a Rockin' Bertha>Greatest Story. Killer Tennesee Jed>Truckin' to end the first set. 2nd Set Estimated Prophet on the Burnin Shore.
Sweet It's All Over Now Baby Blue Encore.